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Letter From Birmingham Jail Comparison

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Throughout history there have been influential people who have advocated for certain ideals that have been known as radical or, for some, idiotic. With most changes that have occurred in history, it starts off with one person making a stand and attempting to change something. From that person comes others who have been influenced and make changes for themselves. One of the changes that has been most controversial was the topic of slavery in the 19th and 20th century. David Henry Thoreau was a 19th century author who wrote a popular essay titled, “Civil disobedience”. Similar to Thoreau, Martin Luther King Jr was an activist who wrote a famous letter titled, “A letter from Birmingham Jail”. The writings have similar aspects when it comes …show more content…

, Thoreau stated,“I can not stand for an instant recognize that political organization as my government which is the slaves government also.”(Civil Disobedience, Thoreau) Martin Luther King Jr writes in ‘A Letter from Birmingham Jail’ that “ Its unjust treatment of Negros in the courts is a notorious reality.” (Letter from Birmingham Jail, Joliffe and Hephzibah) These quotes show that Thoreau and Martin Luther King Jr both share the ideals that the government is against any person that is not white. Thoreau will not be accepting the rule of the government because he can not trust an organization that discriminates against other human beings because they are of a different race. Martin Luther King Jr discusses how the government is corrupt and does not care about all their citizens. Thoreau has influenced King to use his audience to show that the citizens of America should refuses to accept the rules of the government as they are because the government is selfish and focus on what they want to do for their own needs and not what they can do for the people around …show more content…

Thoreau states, “I think it is not too soon for honest men to rebel and revolutionize.” ( Civil Disobedience, Thoreau) In Martin Luther King Jr’s letter he writes, “Individuals may see the moral light and voluntarily give up their unjust posture.” (Letter from Birmingham Jail, Joliffe and Hephzibah) Both authors are after the goal to give mankind the cause to stop discrimination and want men to stand up for what is right willingly. Thoreau wants the reader to understand that what is happening in the world is not okay. He wants the reader to understand that they have the power to make their own choices and he wants them to read his work and go and change the world because of what they read. Thoreau ideals have been rooted into MLK because King wants the same thing that Thoreau wanted; for men to know their morals and want to follow the path that will lead to racial

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443 Words | 2 Pages

"Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau and "Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Lither King Jr. Both had the same idea but they were shared in different ways. "Civil Disobedience" was written in the 1830's where as "The Letter From Birmingham Jail" was written nearly 100 years letter. Both pieces of writing showed civil disobedience, and they were shared in the same way, but they both had different views. In both pieces of work the authors have different views of the injustice in the government. Both men, Martin Luther King Jr. and Henry David Thoreau, targeted larger groups rather than smaller ones.

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Did Martin Luther King Use Ethos In Letter From Birmingham Jail

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Martin Luther King's letter from Birmingham Jail and Henry Davis Thoreau's Civil Disobedience share similar views on the moral and political corruptness of the nation. However, a plethora of circumstances differentiate the two activist in their styles and purposes. Kings indigent tone and his attention grabbing use of pathos created a more relatable atmosphere between himself and his audience. While Thoreau's text remains more detached from the situation; this caused a failure to engage his audience with as much success as Martin Luther King . While both texts clearly share views relation toward the need for just laws paired with equal rights to all who live in America, Dr. King demonstrates greater accomplishment in persuading his audience than Thoreau.

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Letter From Birmingham Jail Pathos

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Both Thoreau and King used the same strategies ethos (ethical), logos (logical), and pathos (emotional), but they used it in a very different way. King used pathos referring to him being arrested for not having a proper permit to protest, even though that’s guaranteed in his 1st amendment right, and he talked about his injustices in jail. While in contrast Thoreau explained that the government doesn’t do anything to keep the country free, such as in 1849 education wasn’t a guaranteed right, and slavery in the south was very popular, he does this by saying “It does not” a lot, referring to the government. For logos, Thoreau explained why he didn’t pay the tax because he believed the government gets nothing done on their own, and that the majority of Americans opposed the war, so why

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Similarities Between Thoreau And Martin Luther King

268 Words | 2 Pages

In my opinion Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King Jr. have very similar purposes in their writings. Both author 's are writing to protest unfair laws. But they also have very different audiences. In Civil Disobediance, Thoreau writes how those who break unjust laws should suffer the consequences as a protest to the laws.

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Thoreau And Martin Luther King Analysis

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However, in the fight for universal justice, these men needed people to truly agree with their ideas rather than know the personal accounts that led to each man’s beliefs, alling for a persuasivve essay; the only method that would allow for a platform to relate experiences to and and all readers, thus giving the ultimate stage for acceptance. As Thoreau argues to wander from the majority and King encourages acting out in the face of injustice, their genres cross at persuasion. From here, each essay is formatted the same. Thoreau in Civil Disobedience overshadows his personal experiences in prison with the reasons why he was sent there--the protest, the need for it, and the perspective that his jail time was only a small price for an ultimate gift: the end to malpractices in legislation. King in the Letter from Birmingham Jail does open with a direct address to his competition, but even with references to these men, his own family, and his own first and second hand accounts, the letter is clearly a plea to join the fight for civil rights as he discusses the reasoning for his massive movement, the need for national attention, and potential changes yet to be made and courses to reach them.

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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. composed “Letter from Birmingham Jail” while incarcerated in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963. He had been jailed for taking part in organizing a peaceful protest. The protest challenged the racial segregation practiced by the city government of Birmingham and by retailers in the city. He wrote the letter in response to a statement published by eight white clergymen in Alabama criticizing him for being unwise and untimely, and for battles against prejudice and segregation to be waged in courtrooms rather than in the streets. The letter addressed several local religious figures Dr. King had counted on for support.

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Civil Rights Through Civil Disobedience In March By John Lewis

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Such was the case for both slavery and segregation. In Civil Disobedience, Thoreau wrote that "a government in which the majority rule in all cases cannot be based on justice, even as far as men understand it." Shortly after, he continued, "I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward" (Thoreau). This resembles the perspective of the civil rights leaders. Primarily, their focus was on being men and achieving justice for their people.

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A Rhetorical Analysis Of Civil Disobedience By Thoreau

422 Words | 2 Pages

Throughout history there have been many political changes that are either supported, or not, by citizens. In the given passage from, "Civil Disobedience," by Thoreau, a perspective of disagreeing with the government ways, is provided. Thoreau explains how a government should be in comparison to how it really is by utilizing his words to set the tone and mode, imagery to achieve his audience's understanding, and diction to make his writing scholarly. Although tone and mode are not directly stated, you can infer that Thoreau meant for his writing to be taken as serious and powerful. His implementation of words such as, "inexpedient," "execute," " integrity," and "command," makes one think about their lawful rights and reflect on what rights are supported or

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Ethos In Letter From Birmingham Jail

815 Words | 4 Pages

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Compare And Contrast Martin Luther King And Civil Disobedience

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Civil Disobedience Compare and Contrast Henry Thoreau and Martin Luther King both wrote persuasive discussions that oppose many ideals and make a justification of their cause, being both central to their argument. While the similarity is obvious, the two essays, Civil Disobedience by Thoreau and Letter from a Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr. do have some similarities. King tries persuading white, southern clergymen that segregation is an evil, unfair law that ought to defeat by use of agitation of direct protesting. Thoreau, on the other hand, writes to a broader, non-addressed audience, and focuses more on the state itself. He further accepts it at its current state, in regard to the battle with Mexico and the institution of slavery.

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People for centuries have gotten their moving inspirational speeches from impactful writers before their time. Even someone as inspirational as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, and he got his motivation from Henry David Thoreau who wrote“Civil Disobedience” which was published in 1849. The speech of King’s where “Civil Disobedience” shines through is the famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Both Thoreau’s and King’s pieces were written in a time of racial discrimination and injustice. The similarity in situations and lack of federal government participation gave King the perfect layout for some of the main portions of his speech.

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678 Words | 3 Pages

Civil Disobedience In the dictionary civil disobedience is the refusal to comply with certain laws or to pay taxes and fines, as a peaceful form of political protest, but Thoreau and Martin Luther King have their own beliefs to civil disobedience. In Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” he writes about the need to prioritize one’s conscience over the dictates of laws. Martin Luther King uses civil disobedience as something that effectuates change in the government. Both Thoreau and Martin Luther King has similar yet different perspectives on civil disobedience.

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895 Words | 4 Pages

In Martin Luther King, Jr.’s essay, “Letter From a Birmingham Jail” and Henry David Thoreau essay “Civil Disobedience,” both share their opinions on social injustice and civil disobedience. They both believe that people can protest unfair and unjust laws imposed on them in a civil way. In addition, King and Thoreau are challenging the government with their essays, which they wrote after they got sent to jail. For protesting the treatment of blacks in Birmingham, Alabama, King spent eleven days in jail; Thoreau spent a night in jail for refusing to pay his poll tax. Both King and Thoreau’s essays present similar plans for a resolution.

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“Letter from Jail” On April 16, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter to the eight clergymen while he was incarcerated. Dr. King wrote this letter to address one of the biggest issues in Birmingham, Alabama and other areas within the United States. The “Letter from Birmingham Jail” discussed the great injustices that were happening during that time towards the black community. Dr. King wanted everyone to have the same equal rights as the white community, he also went into further details about the struggles that African Americans were going through for so many years, which he felt like it could change. Martin Luther King Jr’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, expressed his beliefs and his actions about the Human Rights Movement.

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Henry David Thoreau wrote the famous letter “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience” while doing his time in jail for not paying his poll tax in protest against slavery and the Mexican War. Thoreau was an outspoken critic against social issues he didn’t believe in. His letter has made a big influence on many other civil rights activists. In his letter, Thoreau used many different rhetorical strategies including pathos, as well as usages of logos and diction in order to achieve his purpose in persuading his audience that the government shouldn’t intervene. Thoreau’s use of pathos was seen greatly throughout his writing.

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